Arthritis Medications for Dogs- Are you supporting research that causes pain in dogs?

Are you supporting research that causes pain in dogs?
There are millions of dogs with arthritis so it’s difficult to accept that companies are injecting urate crystals into dogs’ knees to prove their arthritis medications work. Pharmaceutical companies that produce NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) engage in pain-causing research, and we veterinarians promote it by encouraging our clients to buy medications tested in this way.

Causing Pain To Sell Previcox
Do pharmaceutical companies try to hide that they inject dogs’ knees with urate crystals? No. Here, for example, is the advertisement published last month in the August 2007 issue of Veterinary Medicine. It is called the Merial Spotlight on Research and discusses Merial’s arthritis medication Previcox:

Eight healthy, mixed-breed dogs had their knees injected with urate crystals to “induce synovitis and lameness. Injections were alternated between the dog’s left and right stifle.” (Synovitis is inflammation of the tissue surrounding the joint. The stifle is the knee.)

How Joint Research Is Done
Joint research is done by having dogs walk across a pressure-sensitive plate that measures how much weight a dog carries on each leg. The painful leg is held off the ground and the amount of reduced weight bearing calculated. When dogs are given pain medication, the amount of weight the painful leg can support increases, and pharmaceutical companies then promote their medications as helping dogs walk better. What the company will not acknowledge is that dogs used in their studies did not walk as well as they did before their joints were injected—no matter how much pain medication they were given during the study period.

Are Veterinarians Ethical If We Sell Products Based On Research That Causes Pain?
Can we ethically support companies that do this research? We veterinarians should not because we took an oath that says we will protect animals.

The Veterinarian's Oath
Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge. I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

Don't Buy Products Based On Causing Pain
Help us veterinarians live up to our oath by telling us you don’t want medication for your pet if other animals have been harmed in order to market the medication. There are many other arthritis products to choose from so there is no need to use those promoted based on pain.

You have the power to stop pain in your own pet and in other animals in this world. It’s not that hard--use only products that have been produced in an ethical fashion.